A right relationship with God requires the right entrance into that relationship...

At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. And, as we have looked at this sermon, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that enables us to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to live as one who is living in a right relationship with Him. 

This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew, we are going to discover another timeless truth from Jesus uncut. So, let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Matthew 7:13:

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

As Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this famous sermon that Jesus preached, we see Jesus command those who were listening to His sermon to enter through the narrow gate. With this command, Jesus is painting a word picture to the crowds of how one would enter into eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven. In this word picture, Jesus paints the entrance to eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven as being narrow.

Jesus then unpacks the reason behind His command to enter through the narrow gate by explaining that the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. Jesus here uses the image of a pathway to describe how one chooses to conduct one’s life here on earth. In other words, how one chooses to behave and engage in life here on earth places them on a way or a path that leads to a destination that is marked by a gate.

Jesus point is that there is a way that one chooses to behave and engage in life here on earth that places them on a pathway to destruction. The destruction that Jesus refers to here involves eternal punishment for those who are found guilty of evil and wrongdoing. In addition, Jesus explained that entrance to this destruction and punishment is marked by a gate.

And that pathway, that way of behavior and lifestyle is broad; many choose to behave and engage in life in a way that places them on that pathway. In addition, the gate that marks the entrance to destruction is wide; many will enter through that gate and into a state where they will experience eternal punishment after being found guilty of evil and wrongdoing. Jesus then contrasted the pathway and gate that leads to eternal punishment for those who are found guilty of evil and wrongdoing with the narrow gate that Jesus commanded those who were listening to His sermon to enter in verse 14:

 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus explained that, unlike the pathway and gate that leads to eternal punishment for those who are found guilty of evil and wrongdoing, the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life. Jesus point is that there is a way that one chooses to behave and engage in life here on earth that places them on a pathway to eternal life with God as a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. And just like the entrance to eternal destruction and punishment, entrance to this eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven is marked by a gate.

However, unlike the pathway to eternal destruction and punishment, the pathway to eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow. Now when Jesus uses this word narrow, this word paints a picture of a confined road that is a source of trouble or difficulty to those who choose to take it. In addition, Jesus explained that the gate that marks the entrance to eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow.  Jesus point is that few choose to behave and engage in life in a way that places them on the pathway that leads to entering into eternal life with God as part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

And it is here that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the true nature of what it means to obey the message and teachings of Jesus and the true nature of a lifestyle that is living a right relationship with Jesus. In that a right relationship with God requires a right entrance into that relationship.  The timeless reality is that to experience a right relationship with God requires that we choose a way of life that places us on the right pathway to eternal life with God as part of the kingdom of Heaven.

Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave that sounds great, but what exactly is that way of life? What do I need to do to make sure that I end up on the pathway that leads to eternal life with God as part of the kingdom of Heaven”?

If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to ask. And in an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of another account of Jesus life in the Bible, called the gospel of John, we see one of Jesus followers ask that very question.

However, to fully understand this encounter, we first need to understand the context in which this encounter took place.

At this point in the gospel of John, Jesus is engaged in the final conversation that He would have with His disciples before He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. Jesus began that conversation with His disciples, who thought that this was going to be the time where Jesus was going to kick out the ruling Roman Empire and establish the Kingdom of Heavens, by basically saying “I love you guys, you are my spiritual children, but I am only here for a little while and then I am out of here. And while you are going to look for Me, just like I said to the self-righteous religious people who oppose Me, I say to you guys as well, you can’t follow Me where I am going. I am leaving, and you cannot follow”.

Now I would like for us to try to place ourselves in the disciple’s shoes.  Imagine yourself as a disciple. You left everything, family, friends, career, in order to follow Jesus. And now Jesus has basically told you that He is leaving and that where He is going, you cannot follow Him. Now if you were one of Jesus disciples, what would you be thinking and feeling?

“What! What do you mean that we cannot follow you? We left everything to follow you. We leveraged everything to follow you.” As a disciple, your world has been turned upside down.

Because it is in this context that we will be jumping into this encounter tomorrow…

A summary statement surrounding the Sermon on the Mount...

This week we have been looking at a section of a famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the  Bible called the gospel of Matthew, where Jesus was addressing the issue of prayer. We discovered a timeless truth about the true nature of what it means to obey the message and teachings of Jesus and the true nature of a lifestyle that is living a right relationship with Jesus in that a right relationship with God requires that we accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer.  

A person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to provide for them materially so as to meet the needs that they have in our lives. A person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to provide the guidance and direction that they need in their lives. And, most importantly, a person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to experience His presence in their lives.

We discovered that the main function of prayer is a growing and continual communion with God on the deepest possible level. Prayer is divinely designed to be the vehicle by which we experience life with Jesus and life change by Jesus. You see, to pray is to change because prayer is the central avenue that God uses to transform us. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we will see our need and the more we will desire to be more like Jesus. If we are unwilling to change, we will give up on and avoid prayer, because when we pray, God reveals to us who we are and what needs to change.

Jesus addressed the issue of prayer because Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition. Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition because Jesus knows, and human history has shown, that eventually what is in the heart will spill out. And because of that reality, Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him, and humanity throughout history, to accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer for His provision, direction, and presence so that He could be at work to change us.

Jesus then concluded this section of His sermon by making a summary statement that would serve as a transition point to what He was about to address next in His sermon. So, let’s look at that summary statement together, which is found in Matthew 7:12:

 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Now if you grew up in church, or spent any time in church, you are very familiar with Jesus statement here. And even if you did not grow up in church, spend any time in church, or read the Bible, you are still familiar with this statement, but may have not have known that it came from the Bible. This statement is known as the Golden Rule.

Here we see Jesus summarize all that He had said in this sermon about how we relate to others in this simple, yet profound statement. This statement paraphrased God’s command to the Jewish people in Leviticus 19:18. In Leviticus 19:18, God commanded the Jewish people to love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus called the crowds, and humanity throughout history to this standard because we reflect God’s love for us and our love for God by loving others. Jesus point is that in everything, which literally means everything, in every aspect of our relationships with others, we are to show our love for God by loving others. Jesus then explained the reason behind His command with the phrase for this is the Law and the Prophets. But what does that mean?

During Jesus day, and still today, the Hebrew Scriptures were classified into three main sections; the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets. The Hebrew Scriptures take most of what we call the historical books like the Books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and classify them under the Law. Jesus point is that everything that God had commanded the Jewish people in the letters that make up the Old Testament of the Bible revolves around this principle of treating people the same way you want them to treat you. Everything that God had commanded the Jewish people in the letters that make up the Old Testament of the Bible revolves around loving our neighbor as ourselves.

I would like to illustrate this by way of our ideas of obedience and sin. If what is most important to God in terms of obedience is loving God with our total being and loving our neighbor as ourselves, then sin could be defined as love of self over God and our neighbor who was created in His image.  If we treated people the way we wanted to be treated; if we loved our neighbor as ourselves, would we lie? Cheat? Steal? Murder? Gossip? Slander? Be divisive? Commit adultery? Be involved in pornography?

You see, Jesus here, by giving what we call the Golden Rule, was not giving us a new teaching, but is instead reinforcing what the Old Testament already taught, but the Jewish people had missed. Once again, we see Jesus move past external obedience to the issue of the heart. Once again, we see that Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition. Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition because Jesus knows, and human history has shown, that eventually what is in the heart will spill out.

So, with that in mind, here is a question to consider: what does how you treat others reveal about what is going on in your heart? What does how you treat others reveal about where you are at with God?

And how have you responded to Jesus invitation to pursue Him in prayer? Are you willing to create the space to pursue Him in prayer for His provision, direction, and presence so that He could be at work to change you? What is one thing that you could do this week when it comes to being more consistent in prayer?

Because a right relationship with God requires that we accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer...

A right relationship with God requires that we accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Jesus uncut. During this series, we are spending our time together looking at perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. During this series, we are going to see Jesus reveal to the crowds listening to His sermon, and to us here today, the true nature of what God demands of humanity in order to experience a right relationship with Him and what it truly means to obey the message and teachings of the letters that make up the Bible.

And during this series, as we see Jesus uncut, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that enables us to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to live as one who is living in a right relationship with Him.  This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew, we are going to discover another timeless truth from Jesus uncut. So, let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Matthew 7:7-8:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

As Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this famous sermon that Jesus preached, we see Jesus circle back around to the issue of prayer by commanding those listening to His sermon, and humanity throughout history, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” When Jesus uses the word ask, here, this word is an invitation to pray. When Jesus uses the word, seek here, this is an invitation to pursue God and God’s will. And when Jesus uses the word knock, this word conveys a word picture of a person entering into and experiencing the presence of God.

Jesus is basically saying to His disciples, and to followers of Jesus throughout history, that everyone who asks receives an answer to what they ask for in prayer; everyone who seeks God and His will finds an answer to what they are looking for; everyone who knocks with a desire to experience God’s presence, will receive a response to their knocking. Jesus point to the crowds listening to His sermon is that, when it comes to prayer, the issue isn’t with God; God is waiting to engage and answer those who pray.

The issue is with those who follow God, who hesitate to ask God for what they need. Jesus point is that we are invited to ask God when we have needs because God desires to respond to our prayers so as to meet our needs. You see, too often we are afraid to ask a good and loving God for what He already longs to give us. Jesus is inviting the crowds, and humanity throughout history, to ask God when we have needs because God desires to respond to our prayers so as to meet our needs. It is important to understand, however that God does not always give us what we want, but He will always give us what we need. 

Unfortunately, these verses have been used far too often by those in the prosperity gospel movement to advocate a name it and claim it mentality when it comes to prayer. In other words, the only reason that you do not have riches and material blessings in your life is because you have not been knocking hard enough with enough faith.

The problem with this distorted and false view of these verses is found both in the context of where these verses are in Jesus sermon and the very words of Jesus Himself. Let’s look at the issue of context first. If you were to back up in the Bible just seven verses, we see Jesus finishing the part of His sermon that dealt with worry. Now, I have a question for you. Was Jesus responding to the worries that His listeners had about not having a large enough house, or a second car, or a larger college fund or retirement account? No, the worries that Jesus was responding to was the crowds worry over where they were going to get their next meal.

The crowds weren’t worried about having the right clothes; the crowds were worried about having clothes. The crowd was not worried about prosperity; the crowd was worried about survival. The crowd wasn’t worried about wants; the crowd was worried about needs. Jesus was addressing the worry that came as a result of needing to have their needs met, not for their wants to be fulfilled. We see Jesus reinforce this reality with what He says next. So, let’s look together at what Jesus says next in verse 9-11:

"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Here we see Jesus reinforce His invitation to the crowds listening to His sermon, and humanity throughout history, to ask God when they have needs because God desires to respond to their prayers so as to meet their needs with two different word pictures. We see the first word picture in verse 9, where Jesus states that a father would not give his son a stone, if he asked for a loaf of bread. In Jesus day, a loaf of bread and a stone were very similar in appearance.

While similar in appearance, however, their value was totally different. Bread was a staple of the diet of the Jewish people who lived where this sermon was preached. By contrast, a stone was considered worthless. Jesus point is that just as an earthly Father would not deny his son something he needed to survive; God would not deny a need that we requested of Him. And just as an earthly father would not give his son something that was worthless, God would not respond to their request by giving them something that was worthless.

Then, in verse 10, Jesus paints a second word picture by stating that a father would not give his son a snake if he asked for a fish. Now in the desert climate where Jesus was speaking, a fish and a snake were somewhat similar in appearance. While similar in appearance, however, their value was totally different. A fish was a staple of the diet of the Jewish people in this region of the world. A snake, by comparison, was extremely dangerous to a child.

In the area where I live, it would be as if Jesus was saying “What father would give their son a diamondback rattlesnake, when they asked for a bratwurst”? Jesus point is that just as an earthly Father would not deny his son something he needed to survive; God would not deny a need that we requested of Him. And just as an earthly father would not give his son something that was dangerous, God would not respond to their request by giving them something that was dangerous.

Jesus then hammered His point home by stating in verse 11 that if human parents, as flawed, fallen, and broken beings who are bent toward selfishness, are able to generously meet the needs of their children when asked, then how much more would the selflessly loving Heavenly Father generously meet the needs of His children when asked. And it is here that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the true nature of what it means to obey the message and teachings of Jesus and the true nature of a lifestyle that is living a right relationship with Jesus.

 And that timeless truth is this: A right relationship with God requires that we accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer.  A person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to provide for them materially so as to meet the needs that they have in our lives. A person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to provide the guidance and direction that they need in their lives. And, most importantly, a person who is living in a genuine and growing relationship with Jesus will accept His invitation to pursue God in prayer for God to experience His presence in their lives.

You see, one of the common misconceptions about prayer is that prayer only involves asking things from God. But this morning, the reality is that the point of prayer is not to get answers from God. Answers to prayer are secondary. The main function of prayer is a growing and continual communion with God on the deepest possible level.

Prayer, simply put, is entering into communion and communication with God. Prayer is creating space to enter into God’s personal presence and spend time with God. Prayer was divinely designed as an opportunity to spend time with God. Prayer is divinely designed to be the vehicle by which we experience life with Jesus and life change by Jesus.

You see, to pray is to change because prayer is the central avenue that God uses to transform us. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we will see our need and the more we will desire to be more like Jesus. If we are unwilling to change, we will give up on and avoid prayer, because when we pray, God reveals to us who we are and what needs to change.

Jesus addressed the issue of prayer because Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition. Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition because Jesus knows, and human history has shown, that eventually what is in the heart will spill out. And because of that reality, Jesus was calling the crowds listening to Him, and humanity throughout history, to accept His invitation to pursue Him in prayer for His provision, direction, and presence so that He could be at work to change us.

Jesus then concluded this section of His sermon by making a summary statement that would serve as a transition point to what He was about to address next in His sermon. Friday, we will look at that summary statement together...

6 ways to use good judgment when making judgments...

This week we have been looking at a section of a famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 7:1-5, in one of the most misunderstood and misused statements of Jesus in the entire Bible, we see Jesus reveal for us the timeless truth that a right relationship with God requires that we use good judgment when making judgments.  

We talked about the reality that Jesus addressed the issue of us making judgments because Jesus knew that the tendency of humanity is to make judgments and to be judgmental. Jesus addressed the issue of making judgments because Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition. Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition because Jesus knows, and human history has shown, that eventually what is in the heart will spill out. And because of the reality, Jesus commanded humanity throughout history to make sure that they used good judgment when making judgments.

And because of the reality that a right relationship with God requires that we use judgment when making judgments, I want to apply this truth in real and tangible ways to our day to day lives. The first application of this truth is that we use good judgment when making judgments when we recognize that we are to make judgments as we want to be judged.

We have to be very careful that we do not engage in a crusade of judgment against the sins, the selfishness and rebellion that you personally struggle with. For example, you are being hypocritical if you engage in a crusade of judgment against the lewd sexuality of Hollywood while you are engaged in online porn. However, it is tempting to engage in the expressing of our opinions to others on an issue that we ourselves may struggle with.

We also have to be very careful that we do not harshly condemn the selfishness, rebellion and sin of others out of a desire to protect those we love. For example, it is tempting to harshly condemn a person who struggles with addiction because we worry about a person you love being tempted by addiction.

The second application of this truth is that we use good judgment when making judgments when we make sure we deal with our own selfishness, rebellion and sin before we start worrying about everybody else’s selfishness, rebellion, and sin. Be very careful to make sure that the opinions that we express and the judgments that we make begin with the person in the mirror before moving to the person out the window. Be very careful to make sure that we point the thumb at ourselves before pointing the finger at others.

The third application of this truth is that we use good judgment when making judgments when we make sure that we do not make judgments if God has not spoken clearly on an issue. Within Christianity there are two types of issues: There are some issues about following Jesus that are closed handed issues that are not open for debate. For example, the fact that Jesus Christ is God-in-a-bod; the truth of the Trinity; the truth that salvation from selfishness and sin comes only by placing one’s confident truth in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader; these are closed handed issues, they are not open for debate.

However, there are other issues about following Jesus that would be referred to as open-handed issues that followers of Jesus disagree on. For example, is it o.k. for Christians to drink alcohol socially? Is it o.k. for Christians to dance? Should Christians participate in any activity that is associated with Halloween? Should Christian children to go to public school or should they be in a Christian school or homeschooled? Should Christians work at casinos?

Now, these issues are debatable, because while the issue is not clearly stated in the Bible as being right or wrong, some people view the issue as morally wrong, while others view the issue as being morally acceptable. And so often, what can tend to happen is that followers of Jesus will engage in heated debate and confrontation over an issue that God has not given us a clear directive on in His word. As followers of Jesus we often want to make open handed issues close handed and make closed handed issues open handed. So, we must be very careful when we are giving our opinion on an issue that is an open-handed issue.

The fourth application of this truth is that we use good judgment when making judgments when we refuse to make judgments about the behavior of non-Christians by Christian standards. Far too often we expect non-Christians to act like Christians before they become Christians while allowing Christians to act like non-Christians. Instead of expecting non-Christians to act like Christians before they become Christians, imagine what would happen if we lived around them in such a way that revealed and reflected Jesus to them.

When we read the accounts of Jesus life in the Bible, what we discover is that there was something about Jesus that made people who were far from God comfortable enough to hang out with Son of God. While Jesus never lived a life that was marked by selfishness and sin, people who were far from God felt comfortable enough to engage and interact with Him. If you are a follower of Jesus, could the same be said of you? Jesus never expected non-Christians to act like Christians before they became Christians. Instead, Jesus lovingly engaged those who were far from Him and invited them to follow Him.

The fifth application of this truth is that we use good judgment when making judgments when we remember that our ultimate purpose in judging is not to condemn, but to either evaluate and protect or discern and restore. As followers of Jesus, when it comes to making judgments about others, God wants us to judge in the same way we both judge and love ourselves, by calling sin, sin, while responding with an abundance of grace and mercy to those who are engaged in sin. We discover a sixth application of this truth is what Jesus says next in Matthew 7:6:

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Now to fully understand what Jesus is communicating here, we first need to understand something about the context and the culture that Jesus was speaking into. In the Jewish culture of the day, “A dog” was a phrase used to refer to a culturally impure person. In addition, swine were considered unclean and impure by the Jewish people.

Jesus here paints two different word pictures to reveal the reality that we should not attempt to force the message of the gospel and the message and teaching of Jesus down the throats of people who are either incapable of receiving it or are openly opposed to it. When we do that, we risk that the message of God will be disrespected or abused and that we will be attacked by those who we are trying to reach because of our overbearing approach.

And it is here that we discover a sixth application of this truth in that we use good judgment when making judgments when we use judgment when we are sharing God’s message with others. As followers of Jesus, we are to use judgment when it comes to who we share the message of the gospel with. As followers of Jesus, we are to use judgment when it comes to when we share the gospel with others. And, as followers of Jesus, we are to use judgment when it comes to how we share the message of the gospel with others. As followers of Jesus, we are not to view those who do not know Jesus as projects to be completed. Instead, we are to view those who do not know Jesus as people to be invested in and loved.

So here is a question to consider: Do you use good judgment when making judgments? Do you make judgments or are you judgmental? Do you make judgments about others by the same standard that you want to be judged?  Do you begin with the person in the mirror before moving to the person out the window when it comes to expressing your opinions? Do you point the thumb at yourself before pointing the finger at others when it comes to making judgments?

 And what is the purpose behind you’re your desire to make judgments? Do you make judgments in order to condemn or to rescue and restore? Do you use good judgment when it comes to who, when, and how you engage others with the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel?

Because, as Jesus makes clear, a right relationship with God requires that we use good judgment when making judgments...

A right relationship with God requires that we use good judgment when making judgments...

This week, we are looking at a section of this famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. Yesterday, we saw Jesus command those listening to His sermon, and humanity throughout history, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged”.

We discovered that this single statement by Jesus is the statement that is most often quoted by others concerning the message and teachings of Jesus. In addition, this statement is one of the most misunderstood and misused statements of Jesus in the entire Bible by Christians and by non-Christians. When Jesus uses the word judge here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone. This word is addressing the concept of making a judgment about the words and actions of another.

You see, there is a profound difference between making judgments and being judgmental. There is a profound difference between making judgments that address that attitudes, actions, or words of someone and being judgmental so as to view another as being of lesser value, worth or significance. And the letters that make up the Bible are crystal clear in that we are not to be judgmental of others who are created in the image of God so as to view them as being of little value, worth, and significance.

Jesus seems to also be saying that we should not be expressing our opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone. Jesus seems to be saying that we should not be making judgments about the words and actions of another. Now if we simply stopped reading at verse two, which is where many people tend to stop reading, it would seem to be clear that Jesus is commanding the crowds listening to Him to not judge the attitudes, actions, and words of others. If we simply stopped reading at verse two, it would seem to be clear that Jesus is commanding the crowds listening to Him to not express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone.

However Jesus doesn’t stop in verse two. Instead, as Jesus continues His sermon, we see Jesus tell a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story that is designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. And it is in this parable that contains an almost sarcastic level of humor that Jesus reveals what He was truly getting at with this command. So, let’s look at this parable together, which begins in Matthew 7:3:

 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?

Now to fully understand this parable, we first need to define some terms. When Jesus uses the word look, this word literally means to perceive with the eye. By contrast, the word notice literally means to observe carefully. In addition, the word speck was used to describe a small piece of straw or wood that was insignificantly small. By contrast, the word log was used to describe a piece of heavy timber such as a beam used in roof construction or a railroad tie.

Now, with the meaning of those terms in mind, Jesus parable, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Why are you so perceptive that you can see the splinter in someone else’s eye, but are unable to observe carefully enough to see the railroad tie that is protruding out of your own eye. How can you say to someone ‘Hey let me remove the splinter that is in your eye, yet you haven’t even taken the time to remove the railroad tie out of your own eye’”?

Do you see the sarcasm here? I mean how could someone possibly be able to perceive a small splinter in someone else’s eye when they have a railroad tie sticking out of their own eye? I mean, how ridiculous. Jesus then sarcastically hammers His point home in verse 5:

 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Now when Jesus uses the word hypocrite, we need to understand what He means. The word hypocrite, when used in Jesus day, referred to one who was an actor or a pretender. In our culture today, we would refer to such a person as a poser. A hypocrite creates a public impression that is at odds with one’s real motivations or purpose.

So, to be a follower of Jesus who strives to follow the message and teachings of Jesus, yet sometimes falls short is not being a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone that says, “here is the message and teachings of Jesus, and you need to follow them, but I am not going to follow them”. A hypocrite fails to follow the message and teachings that they impose on others.

Jesus point here is that a person is a hypocrite when they express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone while not letting their opinion influence their own life and actions. Jesus point here is that a person is a hypocrite when they make a judgment about the attitudes, actions, and words of others while engaging in the very attitudes, actions, and words that they are judging others for.

Instead of being a hypocrite; instead of being a poser, Jesus basically says “first remove the railroad tie from your own eye, then you will be able to see clearly to remove the splinter from someone else’s eye”. But did you notice what Jesus did not say? Did you notice that Jesus did not say, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then leave the speck in your brother's eye?” Did you notice that Jesus did not say “first take the railroad tie of your own eye, and then leave the splinter in your brother's eye?”

Jesus is not commanding the crowds to never express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone. Jesus here is not commanding the crowds to never judge the attitudes, actions, and words of others. Instead, Jesus point in this sarcastic parable is that before you express your opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone, you better make sure that you are living according to the opinion that you are about to give. Jesus point in this sarcastic parable is that before you judge the attitudes, actions, and words of others, you better make sure that you are not exhibiting the same attitudes, actions and words in your life.

You see, Jesus is not commanding the crowds to never express their opinion. Jesus is not commanding the crowds to never make judgments about the attitudes, actions, and words, or others. Instead, Jesus is commanding the crowds to make sure that the opinions that they express and the judgments that they make begin with the person in the mirror before moving to the person out the window. Jesus is commanding the crowds to make sure that they point the thumb at themselves before pointing the finger at others.

 Jesus and the authors of the letters that make up the Bible not only don’t forbid making judgments, they actually give a set of principles and lenses through which to make those judgments. As a matter of fact, Jesus here is telling us how to make judgments because some beliefs and actions are true, and some beliefs and actions are false.

Now a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if what you are saying is true, then how did we get to the place that these verses have been so misunderstood and misused? How did we get to the place where Jesus words could be so distorted?" 

I believe that one of the reasons that this has occurred has to do with the changing definition of tolerance. Historically, tolerance has been defined as having the right to be wrong. However, in the post-modern culture that we live in today, tolerance is defined as affirming that everyone is right and that nobody is wrong, no matter what they believe or do.

Now, the problem with this definition of tolerance and the call not to judge is that two competing truths cannot both be true at the same time. For example, take gravity. Now one person could claim that gravity exists; another could claim that gravity does not exist. But both truths cannot be equally true: either gravity exists, or it does not exist. You see, only in the moral or spiritual realm would anyone think to live life in a way that believes that two competing truths can be equally true. In addition, if we were forbidden to make moral and spiritual judgments, we would have no way to discern between truth and error.

And it is here, in one of the most misunderstood and misused statements of Jesus in the entire Bible, that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the true nature of what it means to obey the message and teachings of Jesus and the true nature of a lifestyle that is living a right relationship with Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: A right relationship with God requires that we use good judgment when making judgments.  

You see, Jesus addressed the issue of us making judgments because Jesus knew that the tendency of humanity is to make judgments and to be judgmental. Jesus addressed the issue of making judgments because Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition. Jesus is concerned with our internal heart condition because Jesus knows, and human history has shown, that eventually what is in the heart will spill out. And because of the reality, Jesus commanded humanity throughout history to make sure that they used good judgment when making judgments.

And because of the reality that a right relationship with God requires that we use judgment when making judgments, I want to spend time on Friday applying this truth in real and tangible ways to our day to day lives...

To judge or not to judge...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Jesus uncut. During this series, we are spending our time together looking at perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached, which is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. During this series, we are going to see Jesus reveal to the crowds listening to His sermon, and to us here today, the true nature of what God demands of humanity in order to experience a right relationship with Him and what it truly means to obey the message and teachings of the letters that make up the Bible.

And during this series, as we see Jesus uncut, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that enables us to wrap our heads, hearts, and hands around the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to live as one who is living in a right relationship with Him.  This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this famous sermon that Jesus preached, called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew, we are going to discover another timeless truth from Jesus uncut. So, let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Matthew 7:1:

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ² "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

As Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this famous sermon that Jesus preached, we see Jesus command those listening to His sermon, and humanity throughout history, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged”. Now this single statement by Jesus is the statement that is most often quoted by others concerning the message and teachings of Jesus. This statement is quoted by people regardless of their familiarity with Christianity or the Bible.

This statement is quoted by people regardless of their level of commitment to Jesus. This statement is quoted at Christians by other Christians when their behavior is questioned. And this statement is often quoted at Christians as evidence of their hypocrisy by those who are not Christians. “You know what the Bible says Don’t judge or you will be judged”. Or “You Christians shouldn’t judge me, after all Jesus said don’t judge.”

However, this statement is one of the most misunderstood and misused statements of Jesus in the entire Bible by Christians and by non-Christians. So, I want us to spend a few minutes unpacking Jesus words so that we can truly understand what Jesus is trying to communicate here. When Jesus uses the word judge here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone. This word is addressing the concept of making a judgment about the words and actions of another.

You see, there is a profound difference between making judgments and being judgmental. There is a profound difference between making judgments that address that attitudes, actions, or words of someone and being judgmental so as to view another as being of lesser value, worth or significance. And the letters that make up the Bible are crystal clear in that we are not to be judgmental of others who are created in the image of God so as to view them as being of little value, worth, and significance.

However, Jesus here seems to also be saying that we should not be expressing our opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone. Jesus seems to be saying that we should not be making judgments about the words and actions of another. Jesus explained that the reason why we should not judge is so that you will not be judged. In other words, Jesus is saying that our judgments about the attitudes, actions and words of others will result in us being exposed to Divine judgment by God.

Jesus then unpacked this Divine judgment by God in verse 2: "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Now Jesus here is using a proverbial expression that was very popular during this time in history. This proverbial expression, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Do not judge others because when you judge others, you will be exposed to Divine judgment by God. And in that Divine judgment by God, the measure you give out as judgment to those you judge will be the measure you will get in judgment from God”.

But is Jesus really saying that people should not express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone? Is Jesus really commanding the crowd listening to not judge the attitudes, actions, and words of others? What is Jesus really getting at here?

Now if we simply stopped reading at verse two, which is where many people tend to stop reading, it would seem to be clear that Jesus is commanding the crowds listening to Him to not judge the attitudes, actions, and words of others. If we simply stopped reading at verse two, it would seem to be clear that Jesus is commanding the crowds listening to Him to not express an opinion about something in a way that seeks to influence the life and actions of someone.

However Jesus doesn’t stop in verse two. Instead, as Jesus continues His sermon, we see Jesus tell a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story that is designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. And it is in this parable that contains an almost sarcastic level of humor that Jesus reveals what He was truly getting at with this command.

Tomorrow we will look at this parable together...

A right relationship with God requires the pursuit of God as the highest priority of life...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a famous sermon that Jesus preached that we know today as the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:25, we see Jesus command those listening to His sermon, and humanity throughout history, to not become overly concerned about the day to day aspects of life here on earth so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety. However, while we may intellectually agree that we should not worry, emotionally we still can find ourselves in a place where we become overly concerned about the day to day aspects of life here on earth so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety. We can still find ourselves in a place where our behavior betrays what we say we believe when it comes to this issue of worry.

 Jesus revealed the reality that worry distracts our devotion from God to something other than God. What we become overly concerned about so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety about is what we end up becoming devoted to. Worry distracts our devotion from God to something other than God.

 Jesus then provided two illustrations to the crowds listening to point out that worrying changes nothing about the things that we have no control over. In addition, Jesus reminded the crowds that if God provides in such a way for what is only temporary, then how much more will He provide for those who are created in His image. After challenging the crowds about their lack of faith, Jesus then brought the crowds listening back around to the issue of worry in Matthew 6:31-32: 

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' ³² "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your   heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Here we see Jesus provide two reasons behind His command to not become overly concerned about the day to day aspects of life here on earth so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety. First, Jesus explained His command to not worry by stating “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;”.

When Jesus refers to Gentiles, he is referring to those who were not Jewish ethnically or religiously and who worshipped something other than the One True God as God. Jesus point is that those who do not know God are driven by the desires and priorities of life other than God. And as a result of being driven by the desires and priorities of life other than God, those who do not know God will place their trust in those desires and priorities instead of God.

In addition, Jesus explained His command to not worry by stating “for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Jesus point here is that, if you have a right relationship with God, you have trust in a God who knows what you need. Jesus here is revealing for us the reality that what we worry about reveals where our focus and our desires lie. Jesus then hammered His point home with a second command in verse 33-34:

 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Instead of becoming overly concerned about the day to day aspects of life here on earth so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety, Jesus commanded the crowds listening, and humanity throughout history, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. In other words, Jesus is commanding humanity to make it their highest priority to devote serious effort toward possessing and experiencing a right relationship with God as a part of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus then explained that when a person makes it their highest priority to devote serious effort towards experiencing a right relationship with God as a part of the kingdom of God, all these things will be added to you. Jesus point is that as we make it our highest priority to devote serious effort to experience a right relationship with God; as we make the pursuit of God our highest priority, God will provide what we need. 

Notice that I did not say that God will provide what we want, because that is not what Jesus is saying here. The entire context of this section of this sermon is on people becoming overly concerned about the day to day aspects of life here on earth so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety as to how they would meet their needs and survive. Every illustration that Jesus used was about meeting the needs for food and clothing to survive.

We see Jesus reinforce this reality with what He states in verse 34: "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” When Jesus uses the word trouble, this word refers to a state of being that involves difficult circumstances or misfortune. Jesus here is basically saying “Don’t worry about what potential trouble or misfortune may come your way tomorrow, because you have no control over what may come tomorrow, so do not borrow the trouble of tomorrow today.  Instead take one day at a time, one step at a time, with a focus on pursuing a right relationship with Me by doing the next right thing.

 Now so often, we tend to look at this passage as a passage about worry. However, what if I told you that worry is not the main point of this passage. What if I told you that the issue of worry was a symptom of something much deeper that Jesus wanted to expose and deal with. Because it is here that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the true nature of what it means to obey the message and teachings of Jesus and the true nature of a lifestyle that is living a right relationship with Jesus.  And that timeless truth is this: A right relationship with God requires the pursuit of God as the highest priority of life.

You see, Jesus addressed the issue of worry because Jesus knew that worry distracts our devotion from God to something other than God. Jesus addressed the issue of worry because Jesus knew that what we become overly concerned about so as to be consumed by apprehension and anxiety about is what we are truly devoted to. Jesus addressed the issue of worry because Jesus knew that what we worry about reveals where our focus and our desires lie. And because of the reality, Jesus commanded humanity throughout history to make the pursuit of God and a right relationship with God as the highest priority of life.

So, here is a question to consider: What are you worried about? And what does what you are worried about reveal about what is the highest priority in your life?

Because worry distracts our devotion from God to something other than God. What we worry about reveals where our focus and our desires lie. Is Jesus the highest love, the highest treasure, the highest priority of your life?

Because, as Jesus makes clear, a right relationship with God requires the pursuit of God as the highest priority of life...